Little Girl
by Artemis Day
Summary: DISCONTINUED.
1. A Rather Tiresome Morning

**A/N: This fic is based on a challenge by Lily H. Potter over at . Sorry if the first chapter is kind of bad, I promise it will get better.**

Hermione Granger was in a rut. In the last several years since the war with Voldemort ended she seemed to have fallen into a rather dreary routine: Wake up, make breakfast, work, come home, make dinner, read, and go to bed. That was pretty much all she did, although for some unfathomable reason, the few friends she had (she was never a very social person) seemed to think her life, or at least her job was one big adventure. Hermione didn't see what made her occupation so fun. It was exciting at times yes, but hardly fun.

For the past several years, Hermione had been working as a freelance journalist for various Muggle and Wizarding newspapers, though mostly muggle. Her (mostly self-appointed) job was to keep the actions of the many death eaters left over from the war in the tabloids were no one outside the Wizarding World would take them seriously. Hermione's friends seemed to have it in their heads that this was a great job since Hermione often found herself on the scene after (and sometimes during) the attacks, risking her life to keep it all quiet, and after doing it for six years, it had lost whatever 'fun' it ever had.

Luckily, Death Eater activity had dropped to the minimum in recent years so Hermione had to find other things to write about in order to keep food on her table, and it was times like this that she regretted not accepting the teaching position the headmistress of Beauxbatons, the wizarding school she had attended, offered her when she graduated.

But through it all Hermione Granger persevered, and now at age 24, she had a decent sized flat, a career she (usually) enjoyed and excelled at, and, as previously stated, she was in a rut.

* * *

Hermione's alarm clock rang at exactly 9:30 am one Sunday in late April as usual, and the minute she opened her eyes Hermione knew, 'today is going to be a rather tiresome day'. This was not good news for her, because Sunday was the only day Hermione's routine was slightly different and that rut was just a bit smaller. Today was the day she always took off from work. That was the good thing about working freelance, as long as she didn't have a deadline rapidly approaching, Hermione was pretty much in control of her work schedule. On Sunday, she usually just relaxed around her apartment, sometimes she went out to walk in the park or see a movie, but usually she just stayed in and caught up on her reading.

So the fact that she had this gut feeling that today was going to be a bad day didn't put her in the very good mood. She switched off her alarm clock and drowsily got up to go take a shower. Twenty minutes later, Hermione stepped out of the shower and, after toweling off and casting a quick charm to dry her hair, dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt. Upon entering her kitchen, she noticed that the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet every day had arrived. Hermione paid it and then turned away to sit down at the table. She casually glanced at the headline and saw a familiar face plastered across it. 'THE GREAT HARRY POTTER CAPTURES THREE MORE DEATH EATERS!' The headline screamed. Hermione almost giggled aloud at the picture of Harry Potter, where it seemed he had been trying to cover the camera lens with his hand in a futile effort to avoid having his picture taken for what Hermione figured must have been the hundredth time that year.

Sometimes when her mind wandered, Hermione would think about the wizarding world's hero, and often wondered if she would ever meet him. She knew that she possibly could have her parents not decided to move to France when she was ten, for then she would probably have gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the very same school Harry had attended. Harry's story had fascinated Hermione from the moment she heard it. She admired The Boy Who Lived for his courage and for the fact that he had personally dueled and defeated Lord Voldemort, something she knew she would never have been able to get up the courage to do; she had had a hard enough time dealing with death eaters who had attacked her school during the final battle. There hadn't been a lot of them, but enough to put a serious threat on the school…

According the article, Harry had single-handedly cursed the three death eaters into submission using only one spell and with his wand arm badly sprained. Hermione knew they were exaggerating greatly though, which probably explained why Harry didn't look to eager to have his picture taken by their photographer. She put the paper down on the kitchen table and went to make a much needed cup of coffee when the first bad thing of the day happened: She was out of coffee.

"Damn." Hermione muttered.

Sighing, she walked into her bedroom and snatched up her purse from the nightstand, and then once she had gotten her shoes on, headed out the door.

At the market, Hermione was having a bit of a problem. She had found the coffee she liked easily, but had decided to pick up a few other things she was running low on. She had been going to get some bread, but it seemed that the idiots who ran the place found it necessary to make some changes in the placement of their products. She looked down five aisles before she finally found the bread and as she was looking for the kind she liked, the thing that would soon break her out of her mundane routine struck her…or rather, slammed into her.

Hermione recoiled back about a foot and almost dropped her basket. She caught her balance by grabbing on to a shelf and once she had steadied herself, she took a look at who had crashed into her. It was a little girl who couldn't be older than five. Her black hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she had a startling pair of green eyes. She was thin but not malnourished and judging by her expression, something had made her very, very scared.

"I- I Sorry. Sorry." The girl stammered before taking off in the other direction and running out of sight.

For a moment, Hermione tried to figure out what to do, the girl probably had parents in the store with her, but she had looked scared for some reason, so maybe she was in trouble, but that couldn't be, could it?

Before Hermione could ponder further, a loud crash rang out pulling her away from her thoughts. She headed over to the source of the noise and found that a display of canned soup had toppled over and standing next to it, shaking in fear, was the little girl. Several other people had come over to see what the commotion was, but Hermione was the only one who seemed the notice the child. Slowly, she approached the girl, who hadn't noticed her yet. When she finally saw Hermione coming toward her the girl almost ran away again.

"It's okay," Hermione said quickly putting her hands up, "I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to help you."

The girl looked Hermione up and down a few times as if she were sizing her up, and then, she did something Hermione never expected, she let out a small cry and launched herself into Hermione's arms and began bawling. She stood there stunned for a moment before awkwardly putting her arms around the child.

"Shh…it's okay," She whispered into the sobbing child's ear, "it's going to be okay."

"Excuse Me!"

Hermione turned slowly so not to disturb the child and came face to face with a rather irate looking man whom Hermione assumed was the store manager.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely.

"Is that child yours?" The Manager asked angrily.

Hermione took a moment to answer, "Um, yes she is."

"Well she just knocked over this soup display." The man cried pointing at the mountain of cans that now littered the floor.

"I know, I'm so sorry," Hermione said, amazed that her acting was working so well, "She just gets a little too hyper sometimes, you know how kids are, and I'm willing to pay for any damages." She added as an afterthought.

This seemed to satisfy the manager. Once Hermione had paid for the soup and her groceries, she walked outside with the child, who had finally stopped crying and set her down.

"Are you hurt?" She asked.

The girl just shook her head.

"Can you tell me your name?" Hermione asked.

"M-Mina." She answered.

"Mina," Hermione repeated with a smile, "That's a lovely name."

"Thank you," Mina answered softly while wiping the tears from her eyes, "its short for Wilhelmina."

"So it is," Hermione replied gently, "how old are you Mina?"

"Four." Mina held up four fingers as she spoke.

"Where are your parents?"

Mina looked a little nervous about answering but finally said, "My Mommy went to heaven when I was born and I can't find my Daddy."

Hermione felt a pang of sadness for the poor girl having lost her mother, but it was the part about her father she was focusing on at the moment. "Where did you last see your Daddy?"

"In my room," Mina responded, "He was reading me a bedtime story."

"And when was that?"

"I dunno."

Hermione was getting confused. She knew there was only one explanation if this girl was telling the truth. So, she nervously asked the child one more question.

"What happened after that?"

Mina thought about it for a second, "Well, I woked up and there was a man standing over me, and I wasn in my room, and then I rand away and then I met you."

Hermione's stomach was starting to drop, "What did the man look like sweetie?"

Mina glanced over Hermione's shoulder and then pointed to something behind her, "Like that."

Hermione turned somewhat sharply around and her insides froze. Not thirty feet away from where they were standing, were two death eaters. They were walking down the street looking in various shops for something, which Hermione could safely assume was Mina. Luckily, they hadn't been noticed yet and as long as they weren't, the death eaters probably wouldn't start attacking, they weren't that stupid. But Hermione knew it was only a matter of time before they would be noticed.

While Hermione tried to figure out what to do, she began to wonder why they were looking for this girl. She was probably magical, or at least from a magical family. Perhaps she was a squib born to a pure-blood family and they were trying to kill her for it, but if that were true, why had they kidnapped her? Why hadn't they just finished her off immediately? Unfortunately, Hermione rapid thoughts caused her to momentarily forget about the death eaters, and by the time she remembered, one of them had caught sight of her and Mina, and had already pointed them out to his partner. Hermione's heart stopped for a minute before she picked up Mina and began to walk forward.

She kept her eyes straight ahead and held a tight grip on the small child, not too tight though, she didn't want to hurt her. As she rounded the corner she became aware that she was being followed, and she didn't have to turn and look to know that it was the Death Eaters. Their heavy footsteps were getting louder, so Hermione quickened her pace. Mina was beginning to whimper in fear and Hermione knew she had to get them out of there quickly. She just had to figure out a way to do it without drawing any unnecessary attention. They were coming closer now, and Hermione had no choice but to break into a run, the Death Eaters following suit.

Her heart pounding in her chest, Hermione frantically searched for an escape route, but found nothing until her eyes fell on a fire hydrant, and inspiration struck. Reaching into her pocket, Hermione prepared herself for what she was about to do and as soon as she passed the hydrant, she spun around and pulled her wand out.

"Reducto!" She shouted pointing her wand at the fire hydrant, which exploded as soon as the spell hit it.

The ensuing eruption of water was enough to stop the Death Eaters in their tracks as they tried to avoid getting wet. This gave Hermione just enough time to apparate herself and the child back to her flat.

* * *

"Okay let me get this straight." Said the Auror, "You found this girl while you were shopping, she claimed she was kidnapped, and then you were almost attacked by Death Eaters."

"That's pretty much what happened sir." Hermione told the head in her fireplace.

"And where is the girl now?" He asked.

"She's asleep in the bedroom; she looked like she needed a good rest." Hermione answered.

"Alright," said the Auror, "I'll send some men down to get the child."

"Thank you sir." Hermione said as the head disappeared.

She walked slowly into her bedroom and found Mina still asleep, clutching the blankets in her little hands. Hermione could only imagine the trauma she must have been going through, and what of her father? The poor man was probably frantic by now, especially since he had apparently already lost his wife. Hermione watched Mina sleep for several more minutes until she heard a thump sound coming from the living room and then another, and realized the Aurors had probably arrived.

Entering the living room, Hermione saw the Aurors brushing the dust off their robes. One was about a head taller than Hermione with brown hair and eyes. The other was blonde and rather short.

"You must be Ms. Granger," said the tall one holding out his hand for Hermione to shake, "I'm Auror Thompson, this is my partner Auror Davis."

"It's nice to meet you." Hermione answered shaking the Auror's hand.

"Where is the child?" Davis asked in a bored voice.

"She's asleep." Hermione answered, not sure she liked the man's tone.

Davis nodded, "Where?"

"My room." Hermione answered pointing to the open door to her right.

Without another sound, Davis turned and followed her gesture to the bedroom door. Once he disappeared from view Thompson turned back to Hermione and, as if reading her mind said, "I'm sorry about my partner, he's been up all night doing rounds, he gets like that when he's tired."

Hermione nodded a bit.

"Did the girl tell you her name?" Thompson asked.

"Yeah," Hermione answered, "She said her name was Mina and that she was four."

Thompson didn't answer right away, for a minute he just stared at her, then he asked, "Did she mention her parents?"

Hermione was a bit surprised by the question, but answered, "Yes she did actually, she said her mother was dead and from what I gather, she lives with her father."

Thompson's eye's widened now, which confused Hermione. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No," Thompson answered, "I just can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Hermione asked growing impatient with the man.

"This child is-"

"AAAAH!!" THUD!

The loud scream and following thud made Hermione and the Auror jump. Realizing where it was coming from, Hermione ran towards the bedroom with Thompson on her tail, entering the room they were surprised and, in Thompson's case, somewhat amused by what they found.

Mina was standing on the far side of the room, her back up against the wall and her face blanched. Auror Davis was lying against the other wall rubbing his head and looking rather agitated.

"What happened?" Hermione cried.

"She woke up," Davis grunted, "I must have frightened her; she flung me against the wall."

Thompson gave a loud laugh, "Accidental magic huh?"

"Yup…oh my head." The Auror moaned in pain.

Now Hermione had to hold back her laughter, she did feel bad for the Auror, but she had to admit it was funny that he was injured by a four year old. A small whimper of fear caused her to remember that Mina was still there. She rushed over to the child who threw her arms around her as soon as she was in reach.

"Is she okay?" Thompson asked.

Hermione nodded, "I think she's still scared, it's not everyday you're kidnapped by death eaters is it?"

Thompson just smiled a little and shook his head.

"So, what were you saying before?" Hermione asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean before…before this happened," Hermione explained waving her hand around the room to make her point, "You were about to say something about Mina."

Thompson sighed, "Okay, I'm sure you've heard of Harry Potter?"

Hermione noticed that Mina seemed to perk up at the mention of the Boy-Who-Lived. "What about him?"

"Well, Mr. Potter likes to keep his personal life secret, he has a daughter who vanished from her bed two nights ago. The papers haven't been informed so you probably haven't heard about it.." Thompson explained.

"His daughter is four years old and her name's Wilhelmina," Davis continued.

"And you think that Mina here is his daughter?" Hermione asked in shock.

She believed them of course, when she thought about it there was no way it couldn't be true. Why else would Death Eaters be after her, plus there was a resemblance, not only that but they were the same age and had the same name, Hermione just couldn't believe she was the one who found her.

"Only one way to find out," Thompson answered looking at the child in Hermione arms.

Slowly, Hermione put Mina down and bent over to reach her height, "Mina sweetie, do you know Harry Potter?"

For the first time since Hermione found her, Mina smiled, "O course I know my Daddy." She answered.

Hermione looked from Mina, to the two Aurors who had a mixture of shock and relief on their faces.

"Now what?" Hermione asked then standing back up.

"We floo Mr. Potter and tell him we found his daughter." Thompson answered.

"I'll do it." Davis said simply walking out of the room.

"The floo powder's on the mantle." Hermione called after him.

"What's goin' on?" Mina asked Hermione.

"You're Daddy's going to be coming to get you sweetie." Hermione answered.

Mina's face lit up which made Hermione smiled as well. A minute later Davis came back in and informed them that Mr. Potter would be there in a few minutes to get his daughter. In the mean time he tried to pick Mina up and carry her to the living room but she refused to leave Hermione's side, so she ended up having to do it. Once they were in the living room, Mina looked up at Hermione and asked, "I'm gonna see you again right?"

Hermione was a little surprised by this, "Why do you ask?"

"I like you, I wanna be friends, don't you?" she asked.

Hermione chuckled and bent down, "Of course I want to be you're friend Mina."

Mina grinned and cheered, making the two Aurors smile slightly. The roaring sound from the fireplace alerted the four to another presence in the room, and looking up; Hermione could see, for the first time in her life, the rather shaken looking form of Harry Potter.


	2. Harry Potter

Looking up Hermione could see for the first time in her life, the rather shaken form of Harry Potter.

"DADDY!" Mina shouted as she ran from Hermione side into her father's waiting arms.

Harry scooped his daughter up and held her tightly, "Mina, oh thank Merlin you're safe, I was so worried."

Aurors Thompson and Davis approached the father and daughter and Davis coughed softly, causing Harry to look up at him. Harry's face cracked into a grin, "Thanks for finding her you guys."

Auror Thompson smiled, "Don't thank us Harry, Ms. Granger here is the one who found her."

Thompson nodded in Hermione's direction. Harry's gaze shifted to her and his smile vanished. Hermione took that moment to examine Harry Potter's appearance. He was a few inches taller than her, probably a little under six feet. His messy hair was black like Mina's; in fact, the two of them looked a lot alike right down to the bright green eyes. His clothes were disheveled and he had bags under his eyes. He probably hadn't been sleeping much lately. Harry examined her for a minute as if trying to decide whether or not she was trustworthy. Suddenly, the small child in his arms spoke up.

"Hermione is nice Daddy, she made the bad men go away and she my friend."

Harry looked at the grinning child and then back at Hermione. The brunette smiled nervously and tried to keep herself from averting her eyes from his. Then slowly, Harry raised a hand to her.

"Ms. Granger isn't it?" He said more to himself than to her, "Thank you for saving my daughters life."

Hermione stared at his hand and hoped to god she wasn't blushing from embarrassment. She realized that she couldn't keep him waiting forever and took his hand in hers. After a rather awkward moment they let go.

"It was nothing Mr. Potter," Hermione ansered, "I was more than happy to help."

He smiled at her and then turned back to the Aurors.

"I've got it from here guys, thanks again for everything."

"You sure you don't need us to stay?" Asked Thompson.

"No I'm fine now." Harry answered.

For the first time, Davis smiled, "Alright Harry, we'll see you later."

With two cracks, the Aurors vanished leaving Hermione alone with the two Potters. Mina by now was getting restless so Harry put her down.

"Ms. Granger," He addressed her again, "I don't know how I could ever repay you for this. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Hermione opened and closed her mouth trying to think of a decent response.

"Well Mr. Potter, you could call me Hermione." She suggested simply, unable to think of anything else to say.

Harry chuckled, "Alright, then you have to stop this 'Mr. Potter' stuff and just call me Harry."

Hermione grinned almost stupidly but caught herself, "Alright then."

Mina had long ago lost interest in the adults conversation and was now attempting to turn on Hermione's television set. When Harry noticed her he called out to her.

"Mina, be careful with that."

"It alright Harry," Hermione told him, the name felt native to her tongue but she was surprised how comfortable it felt to say it.

She turned away from him, turned the set on, and turned it to a channel playing an American cartoon called 'Spongebob Squarepants' which Mina seemed to enjoy.

While she watched her show Hermione decided it was only right to offer Harry something to drink. Several minutes later they found themselves sitting at the kitchen table drinking tea. This would have been a good time to start a conversation, however neither party could think of a single thing to say.

Hermione glanced up at his face for perhaps the fifth time before Harry cleared his throat, almost making her jump.

"So," He started and stopped as if he was unsure of where he was taking this, "'Hermione', that's a Shakespearean name isn't it?"

Hermione's eyes locked onto his face and she smiled, "Yes it is, how did you know that? Most people don't."

"Well my brother-in-law acts in a theater troupe that mainly does Shakespeare's plays." Harry explained.

"Really?" Hermione asked genuinely interested.

"Yeah, my wife used to make me go with her to see them every time they preformed nearby," He told her, "I remember the first time we went they were performing Hamlet and Elliot, that's his name by the way, he was playing Laertes and during the sword fighting scene in the end he actually fell off the stage."

Hermione brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, "Was he alright?"

"Oh yeah he was fine," Harry told her waving a hand in dismissal, "all he had was a twisted ankle and a bruised pride."

Hermione giggled again and Harry laughed with her. They talked a little more until Harry casually glanced at the clock and saw that it what almost two.

"I'm sorry Hermione," He said getting up, "I have some friend's who've been really worried about Mina, so I want them to see that she's alright."

Hermione felt a small feeling of disappointment that they were leaving but stood with him and put their cups in the sink while Harry went to get Mina. Hermione walked into the living room once she was done to see them off.

"Mind if we borrow some floo powder?" Harry asked motioning towards the small flower pot on her mantel.

Hermione nodded wordlessly and Harry grabbed up the container. Mina took that moment to rush up to Hermione and hug her around the knees.

"Daddy says we leaving now." she said sounding very sad.

Hermione smiled at the girl, "Yes, I know."

"I gonna miss you Hermione, you're nice." Mina told her looking up at her with tear filled eyes.

Hermione crouched down to her level and wiped the tears from her eyes, "Don't be sad Mina, I'm sure we'll see each other again real soon."

Mina brightened up at this, "You mean it?"

"Yes I do." Hermione answered with a big smile.

Without warning, Mina threw her arms around Hermione's neck, "Okay, Hermione, you're my best friend."

Hermione grinned and hugged the girl back, she was just so sweet. Harry watched the whole exchange with a peculiar look on his face. Once Mina let go she ran back to her father and he picked her up and held her close.

"It's been very nice meeting you Hermione, thank you again for everything." Harry said.

"No problem, and it's been nice meeting you both too." Hermione answered.

Harry then turned his attention to his daughter, "Say goodbye now Mina."

"Bye bye Hermione," Mina said happily waving her little hand.

Hermione smiled at the girl and turned away once Harry called out their destination and threw the powder into the fire, disappearing with Mina. It was only after they left that Hermione realized how tired she now was and decided to take a quick nap before dinner. One hour later she got back up and read a bit. Then she went into the kitchen, had dinner and opted to turn in early.

Her mind would often wander back to the Potters.

* * *

Hermione tiredly entered the kitchen the next morning to make her daily cup of coffee and found not only her mail on the kitchen table but also a snowy white owl perched on the window sill waiting for her.

"Hey girl," Hermione said petting the owl, "Where did you come from?"

The owl hooted and motioned toward the mail. Hermione figured it must be a post owl, although she had no idea what it was sticking around for if it's job was done.

She sat down with her mug and began rifling through the envelopes. It was mainly work-related stuff but in between were two handwritten letters that she decided to open first thing. Picking up the first one she ripped open the envelope as neatly as possible and pulled out a decently length bit of parchment. She brought it into better view and began to read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_I'm sorry I didn't write you back sooner, classes have been rather difficult this year. My transfiguration grade has improved though thanks to you, really I don't know where I'd be without all you help._

_Guess what? You remember Marc right? That boy I told you about? Well anyway he asked me yesterday if I wanted to go for a walk with him and of course I said yes. And while we were out, he kissed me! I can't believe it, he really likes me Hermione! My friends all say I'm too old to act this way about a mere kiss, but this is different; I think I'm in love._

_You'll probably see him next month at the graduation ceremony, you are still coming right? Silly question of course, I know you'd never miss that. Well I should go now, I'm meeting Marc in a few minutes. We're going to be 'studying' together if you know what I mean. Mother, father and Fleur all send their love._

_Sincerely, Gabrielle._

Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes. She made a mental note to respond later and congratulate her old friend on finding love. Part of her wondered if it was for real though. Hermione knew of the veela genes in the Delacour family and hoped that that wasn't the reason this was happening. If it was, poor Gabrielle would be heartbroken.

Hermione and her parents had first met the Delacour family after Hermione got her letter from Beauxbatons on her eleventh birthday saying that she was really a witch and had been accepted into their school. They thought it was a joke at first until a wizard representative from the French Ministry of Magic arrived at the Granger home later that day. Once he convinced them that he was really a wizard (and turned their living room couch into a zebra and back to further prove his point), he explained everything to the stunned parents and a very excited Hermione.

Pending his instructions, the small family left their home two days later and found their way into the Wizard part of Paris. Once there they entered the bank and after getting over the initial shock at the appearance of the tellers (Hermione only later found out they were Goblins), they managed to get their muggle money exchanged for wizard money. They'd been a bit unsure of what to do next until a regal looking gentlemen approached them.

He looked snobbish in his expensive looking robes but turned out to be very nice, he introduced himself as Girard Delacour and then took them to meet his family consisting of his wife Apolline, a very beautiful blonde haired woman and his two also blonde daughters Fleur and Gabrielle. The French family assisted the Grangers in purchasing Hermione's school things, while the bushy haired girl spent the time asking Fleur a million questions about the school and what it was like. Thinking back Hermione had probably annoyed Fleur greatly by being so talkative but if she had, the quarter-veela hid it well.

The friendship between the two families continued from there and once Gabrielle entered Beauxbatons and began doing poorly in transfiguration, Monsieur Delacour asked Hermione to tutor the young girl even offering to pay her. Hermione did it for free though and in that time grew very close to the young girl. She and Fleur also managed to form a friendship even though Hermione found her to be rather vain; somehow she knew that deep down Fleur was a good person.

Putting Gabrielle's letter aside, Hermione opened the other one and the owl hooted again, making Hermione think that this must be the one it delivered. She read the letter carefully and when she finished, was rather surprised and nervous.

The letter read:

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you don't mind me writing to you, I didn't think it would be very polite to just apparate in and I don't know your phone number._

_Anyway I suppose you're wondering why I'm writing you in the first place, well you see Mina hasn't stopped talking about you since I brought her home last night. Now she's insisting that I have you over for dinner as soon as possible. So, I'd like to formally invite you to our house tomorrow night for dinner at around 7 pm. My owl should have waited for you, so you could send your response quickly (her name's Hedwig by the way). Don't feel obligated to say yes though, we understand if you can't._

_Signed, Harry._

Hermione lowered the letter and turned her attention back to the owl.

"Hedwig is it?" She asked her and received another hoot in response.

Thinking for a moment, Hermione realized that Harry and Mina had been on her mind all day and if she refused their invitation, not only would little Mina be disappointed, Hermione wouldn't be too happy either.

She got up to retrieve an envelope and some parchment to write on and upon finding it, went back to her desk. In very neat handwriting she wrote:

_Dear Harry,_

_I would be honored to join you and Mina for dinner tomorrow night. I can be there by 6:30. See you then._

_Love from Hermione._

Deciding that was good enough even though it was somewhat short, Hermione folded the parchment and sealed it in an envelope. Right on cue, Hedwig jumped off her spot on the window and held out her leg for the letter. Hermione tied it on and the owl quickly flew back out the window. Hermione watched it fly away and casually thought forward to tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter isn't as interesting as the last one but then again it is just a filler. The next chapter will feature Hermione's dinner with the Potters, and we'll find out who Mina's mother was.**

**One more thing, I'm sure most of you have noticed that Hedwig is alive, and yes that is the original Hedwig in this chapter. Well the thing is I thought JKR was evil for killing Hedwig as well as several other characters, therefore in this story they are alive. Here's a list of some other characters who did not die:**

**Fred**

**Remus**

**Tonks**

**Dobby**

**They are all alive here. Other than that the story went pretty much the same only without Hermione and with a few other altercations I've made which will be revealed throughout the story. Anyway, don't forget to leave some feedback on your way out! See ya.**


	3. Chocolate Covered French Fries

**A/N: The newspaper mentioned in this chapter is fictitious.**

* * *

Hermione got to work answering Gabrielle's letter promising that she would be at the Graduation and wishing her luck in her new relationship. She then put the letter aside and made a mental note to send it later that day. She sorted through the rest of her mail but found nothing worth noting until she came across a letter written on muggle paper with a familiar seal.

Hermione smiled a little and tore open the letter. She knew already what it was for and didn't have to read further than the first paragraph to know what to do. Getting up, she grabbed her phone of the charger and dialed the number. After listening to the dial tone for several seconds she heard the other line come on.

"London Times," Said a female voice.

"John Stevens please." Hermione requested.

"One moment." The woman said.

Then Hermione heard the familiar 'hold' music and sat back down, waiting for the line to be picked up again.

This would be the fifth time she'd worked for John Stevens. He was the Editor in Chief of the London times. A large, hearty man in his late sixties, he was known for being very likeable and a good boss. However, his eating habits were a bit on the grotesque side and even his own wife had to look away while he happily chewed his food, crumbs falling down onto his lapel. He was a sweet man nonetheless and Hermione enjoyed working for him.

What made it much easier was the fact that his two youngest daughters were both attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry up in Scotland, apparently the first witches in their all-muggle family. His knowledge of the magical world made him less prone to confusion over her methods of getting the news (occasionally legilimency was necessary for extracting information although Hermione hated using it and tried to do so as little as possible).

Usually when John contacted her, he needed an article about a crisis in a foreign country or a new government plan to clean the water or something along those lines. Once he had sent her all the way to New Zealand, so Hermione could only guess what this was going to be.

"John Stevens office." His secretary finally came on.

"Yes this is Hermione Granger," Hermione started, "He sent me a letter and he's probably expecting my call."

"One moment please Ms. Granger." The secretary answered.

Once again Hermione was put on hold but this time it only lasts about a minute before a deep voice came from the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Stevens," Hermione greeted him, "This is Hermione Granger."

"Oh Hermione!" He practically shouted, "I'm so glad you called! How have you been dear?"

"Good, good." Hermione answered, her thoughts momentarily returning to the Potters, "How have you been?"

"Oh I'm great," Mr. Steven's answered happily, "We've all been doing just fine; Maggie had her baby."

"Oh really?" Asked Hermione, smiling.

"Uh huh, just last month. 7 pounds 15 ounces, a little girl." Mr. Stevens gushed.

"Well congratulations Mr. Stevens." Hermione answered sincerely, "Is she your first grandchild?"

"She sure is," Mr. Stevens answered proudly, "I hope it doesn't make me seem old though."

"Not at all sir." Hermione said.

"Thank you dear. Now I assume you're not calling just to make small talk." Mr. Stevens stated.

"Well no," Answered Hermione, "I'm calling because I got your letter and-"

"Oh of course, I almost forgot I sent that." Stevens boomed, "You see Hermione, you're probably the best reporter I've ever worked with, I would employ you full time in a second if you'd let me. But anyway, I was hoping you could help me with something rather big. Something that would require a bit of travel."

"Travel? Where?" Hermione asked now very curious.

"India." Stevens answered simply.

"India?! Whatever for?"

"Well the Prime Minister is going there on Wednesday to meet with the government officials and we need an exclusive on it. I can't think of anyone better suited for the job than you Hermione."

Hermione sat down and thought about it for a minute. She knew he meant her methods of travel and getting the story, which would save him money. She liked to think he thought her a good writer too though. It did sound very interesting, and she had no other commitments other than her dinner with the Potter family tomorrow night; hopefully she could do this afterwards.

"Well I'm busy tomorrow, but after that I'm free." Hermione informed him.

"That's fine, but will you be free for the next week after that?" Stevens asked her.

"It'll take that long?" Hermione asked.

"Well that's how long the Prime Minister will be there and I want updates every day or so." Stevens explained.

Hermione thought for another minute of so and then answered, "Okay then Mr. Stevens, I'll do it."

"Wonderful!" He boomed, "Now let's discuss your pay…"

For the next five minutes they went over her wages and in the end Stevens agreed to pay her basic wages along with covering her Hotel stay. After a few more minutes of small talk they bade each other good day and hung up.

* * *

Time seemed to fly by and pretty soon Hermione found herself getting ready to go to the Potter's house for dinner. Harry had sent her another letter with his address in it so she could apparate over. She decided that this wouldn't be a very formal affair but she still wanted to make a good impression, so she put on her nicest pair of dress pants and a white blouse. She grabbed her jacket and put it on, then got her purse and concentrated on the address Harry had sent her.

With a crack she materialized in front of a well lit house in the middle of a quiet suburb. It was not a huge house like you might expect for one as rich and famous as Harry Potter was, but Hermione was only a little surprised. He hadn't really struck her as the fame-loving type. Hermione padded up the walkway to the door and slowly knocked, a twinge of nervousness forming in her stomach.

Several seconds passed and she could hear the sounds of tiny footsteps from inside the house. The door then seemed to open by itself, which greatly confused Hermione until she looked down and saw a house-elf staring up at her. Hermione had had experience with House-elves before since most of her old school friends were from pureblooded families and had them. Hermione never liked the idea of using elves for slavery, although her friend's were very well treated. She knew that some families did not treat them so nicely.

This elf was unlike any she'd ever seen before, mostly because he was wearing real clothes that seemed to have been made just for him. His large eyes stared up at her.

"You must be Ms. Granger," said the elf, "Master Harry Potter told Dobby you would be coming.

The elf moved aside and let Hermione enter.

"Thank you," She smiled at the elf, "It's Dobby, right?"

"Yes Miss, Dobby the House Elf." Dobby answered before bowing to her in a gentlemanly fashion.

Hermione chuckled softly and was about to ask were her hosts were when a familiar little figure came bounding toward her.

"HERMIONE!!" Mina shouted before latching onto the Brunette's waist.

Hermione grinned and patted the small child on the head, "Hello Mina, it's good to see you again."

Hermione was so busy talking to the little girl that she failed to notice Mina's father approaching until he was standing right in front of her. She was mildly surprised to see him when she looked up but hid it.

"Hello Hermione," Harry greeted her cheerfully, "I'm glad you could come."

"Well thank you for inviting me." Hermione answered.

Harry then turned his attention to his daughter, "Okay Mina, go get ready for dinner."

Mina smiled widely at Hermione before running off again.

"Dobby will see if dinner is ready." Dobby said and walked off through a doorway into the kitchen, leaving Harry and Hermione alone together.

"Would you like to sit down?" Harry asked motioning toward a chair to Hermione's right.

She nodded slowly and moved to sit. Harry settled into an armchair and smiled at his guest.

"So how have you been?" He asked trying to make small talk.

"Alright," Hermione answered, "I got hired to write an article for the London Times yesterday."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, they want me to cover the Prime Minister's visit to India tomorrow. I'll be there until next week." she explained.

"In India?" Harry asked wide-eyed, "That sounds like a lot of fun."

"Well it is a work trip." Said Hermione, "Speaking of which, what's it like being an Auror if you don't mind me asking."

"It's fine," Said Harry, "I don't work as much anymore though, not since my wife died."

Hermione nodded sadly, "Yes, I'm really sorry by the way."

Harry waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, it's been almost five years now and I've accepted it."

Despite this Hermione noted a small amount of sadness behind his words.

"Um, I hope I don't sound to nosy for asking but, how exactly did she die?"

Harry sighed, "She died in childbirth."

Hermione gasped softly, "That's horrible."

"It's okay, I still have Mina." Harry said shrugging.

Right as he said that, the girl in question reentered the room and sat on her Dad's lap. Hermione and Harry immediately began talking about something else. Soon Dobby came back in to announce that dinner was ready and the trio entered the dining room.

Throughout most of the meal they ate in silence, except for Mina who talked on and on about how her day went and her friends on the block and the TV show she watched earlier that day. Harry had told her several times that it wasn't polite to talk so much but it seemed the child didn't like it when things were so quiet, so she kept going anyway. Hermione didn't really mind though, since otherwise the situation would have been a bit awkward because she had no idea what to say.

So far all she really knew about Harry Potter was that he was a widower, he worked as an auror, and he knew Shakespeare. Other than that he was a complete stranger to her.

Around dessert however, something strange happened. Dobby brought out three small bowls of chocolate ice cream and placed one in front of everyone. Mina immediately dug in happily while Harry beckoned Dobby over.

"Can you bring me a plate of French fries?" He asked the elf.

Dobby nodded quickly and ran back into the Kitchen. He returned with a plate of crispy French fries and placed them in front of his master. Hermione looked on confused wondering why he would want fries with his dessert. To her shock and slight disgust he picked up a fry, stuck it in the Ice Cream, pulled it out and ate it.

Hermione forgot all about her own bowl and watched as Harry repeated the process several more times before finally noticing her watching. Harry turned a bit red and pushed the fries away. "Sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to gross you out."

"It's quite alright," Hermione answered, "I've just never seen anyone eat French fries like that."

Harry grinned sheepishly, "I know, I swear it tastes good though. It's something I've been doing since I was a teenager."

Hermione considered that for a minute before decided that it wouldn't hurt, "Can I try it?"

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.

"Well you did say it's good," She said, holding out her hand for a fry.

Harry handed her a fry while Mina watched silently (A first for that night).

Hermione took the fry and dipped it in her ice cream just as Harry did. Cautiously, Hermione brought the chocolate covered French fry to her lips and hesitated for a moment. She caught Harry watching her to see if she would really eat it and decided she'd better just do it. She opened her mouth and bit off the top half of the fry.

To her immense surprise it tasted rather good; sweet, crunchy, cold and a little salty. She swallowed and nodded her approval to Harry, who grinned.

"Eeeeew." Mina cried.

"She doesn't like them," Harry muttered to his guest, who chuckled softly, "Her mother didn't like them either."

Around 7:30, Mina began to grow sleepy. Harry started to carry her off to her room when she began fussing.

"I wanna bedtime story." She said with her arms crossed.

"Okay then," Harry nodded, "I'll come in and read you a story when Hermione leaves."

"No!" said Mina with attitude, "I wan Hermione to read me a story."

"Mina," Harry said sternly, "Hermione is our guest, we can't ask her to do that."

"But she wans to read me a story," Mina insisted, she looked at Hermione and on a cute face, "Don't you Hermione?"

Hermione smiled and rolled her eyes. She got up and took the child from her father, "It's alright Harry, I don't mind."

Harry nodded and pointed down the hall, "Her room's the third door on the left."

Hermione walked down the hall and opened the appointed door. Mina's walls were colored purple as was her carpet and bedspread. Hermione was surprised to find muggle items such as a TV and a Radio on one side. On her bed was a mountain of stuffed animals. Hermione carefully put the small girl down and helped her remove her shoes. Mina put on her Pajamas by herself and then went to brush her teeth.

When she came back she got into bed and grabbed a rabbit doll from the pile. Hermione sat down in a small chair next to the bed.

"Alright, what story do you want me to tell you?" Hermione asked.

"Cinderella!" Mina cheered happily.

Hermione laughed and began the story once the child calmed down. By the time the prince put the slipper on Cinderella's foot and discovered that she was the maiden he'd fallen in love with, Mina was fast asleep. Hermione got up and tucked the child in. Then she tiptoed out of the room and slowly closed the door.

It was then that she realized that she was in an unfamiliar house and didn't really know her way around.

"Harry?" She called out unsurely.

No one answered her, so she started walking back towards the living room. On her way she spotted an open door and her curiosity got the better of her. She stood in the threshold and looked inside. The room was dimly lit, the walls covered in pictures of Harry, a redheaded boy and a girl with short dark brown hair with her arm around Harry. The walls also housed posters with a group of familiar looking men on them.

There was an old-fashion record player on one side of the wall and next to it was a crate with a sign taped on it reading 'records'. Hermione walked further into the room and approached a chair in the middle. A small table stood next to it, on it was an old book. Hermione slowly picked it up and read the cover.

"Dracula." She said aloud. She was about to put it back down when she heard a voice.

"Hermione?"

She yelped and dropped the book on the floor. Harry walked in and attempted to calm her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No no," Said Hermione when she regained herself, "I shouldn't have been going through your things like that, it was very rude of me."

She reached down and picked the book back up. She held it out to Harry who took it with a sad look on his face.

"Don't worry about it. I just don't want anything in this room touched that's all." Harry said.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said, "I should be going now anyway."

"Wait!" Harry called before she could move, "It's alright. I suppose I'm just being silly. You see, these are mostly Jenna's old things."

Hermione looked confused, "Jenna?"

"My wife." Harry responded.

Now Hermione felt terrible. She had been messing around with his late wife's belongings. The awkward silence that followed seemed to go on forever until Harry broke it, once again making Hermione jump.

"This was her favorite book you know." He said still staring down at the book.

"It was?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Harry looked up, to her surprise he was smiling, "Throughout her lifetime I believe she read this book at least twelve times."

"Twelve Times?" Hermione answered almost laughing, "That's quite a bit."

"I know," Harry said nodding, "Have you ever read it?"

"Once when I was thirteen." Said Hermione, "I had wanted to read it earlier but my parents wouldn't let me, they said it would give me nightmares. That was before I found out I was a witch."

"So then you're muggleborn?" Asked Harry.

"That's right, once I found out I did a lot of research on Vampires so that if the book did give me Nightmares when I read it, I would know what I was dealing with, what about you, have you read it?"

Harry smiled and shook his head, "No, I tried but I just couldn't get into it."

Hermione nodded while Harry put the book down. "You know," he started, "That book is how my daughter got her name."

Hermione's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah," Harry confirmed, "I couldn't believe it when my wife suggested that name, I thought she was kidding. See I wanted to name her Lillian after my mother. But Jenna was a very stubborn woman and she insisted on Wilhelmina. In the end I had to agree."

Hermione laughed, "Well it could have been worse, if Mina had been a boy who knows what she could have picked."

"Why, what kind of male names are in Dracula?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione thought for a moment back to her reading of the book over a decade ago, luckily she had a very good memory, "Well for example, there's Quincy, Abraham, Vlad and Bela."

Hermione stopped and had to force down a laugh at Harry's expression, "Quincy Potter?" Harry said while cringing "You're right, I got off lucky."

At that, Hermione couldn't resist the urge to laugh anymore and Harry just glared at her. Once she composed herself, her eyes fell on the posters she'd seen earlier and she pointed to the nearest one.

"I see she was a fan of The Stones too huh?"

"Oh," Harry said chuckling, "Yeah they were her favorite group. She used to sing 'Sympathy for the Devil' while making breakfast."

Hermione giggled.

Harry smiled to before shaking his head slightly, "I'm sorry, I'm going on and on about my late wife, I know you don't want to hear about this."

"It's fine Harry," Hermione said before a thought struck her, "You notice how we've been apologizing to each other for different things all night?"

Harry chuckled, "No I hadn't noticed that."

They shared another laugh and when it was over, Hermione noticed that she couldn't stop looking at Harry's eyes, they were such a nice shade of green. For a long time they didn't say anything, but this silence was not awkward like the previous ones had been, this one seemed like…something else.

They heard the sound of a clock chiming which caused them both to jump out of their stupor. Hermione looked at her watch and saw that it was now Eight.

"I'm sorry Harry," she said looking up at his now confused face, "I have to go now. I have to wake up early tomorrow and I've got to pack for my trip."

"Oh okay." Harry said almost sadly.

As she started to walk out she suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh before you go," Harry said nervously, Hermione noticed that he once again had the Dracula book in his hands, "Would you like to borrow this?"

Hermione stared at the book and then at Harry. He was actually going to lend her his late wife's copy of her favorite book?

"Oh I couldn't-" Hermione started.

"No no really it's okay, I insist. You can read it while you're away if you have free time." Harry said still holding the book out.

Slowly, Hermione took it from him as if she thought that he was joking and would pull it back the moment she reached for it.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, "I'm sure, I don't think Jenna would have minded. Just be careful with it."

Hermione smiled slightly, "Okay, I'll come return it when I get back."

"Have fun!" Harry called after her as she walked away.

In the living room, Dobby gave Hermione her jacket and purse back and saw her out the door. With one more bow he closed it and Hermione apparated home to prepare for her trip.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, now you all know the identity of Mina's mother. Several reviewers have asked and they now should know that Ginny is NOT Mina's mother. I have a very specific role for Ginny in this story, and that is non-existant!Ginny. YAY!!**

**Anyway, for those of you who don't know the story of Dracula, Mina Harker is the main female character of the story and the wife of Jonathan Harker who is kept prisoner in Dracula's castle. If you've read the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it's the same character. The first two boys names Hermione mentions in this chapter are characters from the book. Vlad is Vlad the Impaler whom many people believe the character of Dracula is based upon, and I shouldn't have to tell you were Bela comes from.**

**One more note for those who do not enjoy chocolate covered French fries or have never even tried them: You do not know what you're missing.**


	4. Clarice

The week Hermione was away she barely had any time to sit and relax. Coupled with work and partaking in site-seeing she usually didn't get back to her hotel until very late. The few times she was able to rest though, she would read the "Dracula' book Harry had given her.

She noticed that it was quite different reading it the second time. Prior to her first reading she'd read exactly nine books about vampires in order to understand their behavior, abilities, and weaknesses. She found 'Dracula' to be rather accurate with only a few minor details being incorrect, and the book didn't frighten her at all nor did it really leave an impression on her mind.

Reading it again all those years later seemed to make it more enthralling and even a little frightening. She was so into the story that by Thursday she was finished and by Saturday she'd reread it.

On her return flight the next day, Hermione realized that she'd have to return the book now, which meant she would have to return to the Potter household. For some reason, that excited her more than her entire week in India had.

As soon as Hermione walked through her door, she dropped her bags on the floor and herself into a nearby chair. She noticed the post owl had been by, and left a letter from her Parents and also one from Gabrielle. Hermione grabbed her overnight bag and pulled the book from it. It was times like this she wondered why the Potter family had been on her mind so much lately.

She at first figured it was because Harry was so famous, he was the Boy-Who-Lived after all and the one to finally defeat Voldemort. She had no idea his wife had died in such a way though or even that he was married. This led her to believe that he was a very private person as she'd always suspected him to be. He was nothing like her other friends, that was for sure. Gabrielle for instance loved the limelight as did her sister. They always wanted to be the center of attention, Hermione preferred to be alone and it seemed that Harry did too.

Mina on the other hand was quite an outgoing little girl from want Hermione could tell. While she had been scared stiff after her kidnapping, she seemed to recover quickly once reunited with her father. Hermione couldn't help but feel relief that the child she barely knew had seemingly suffered no trauma from her experience.

Hermione glanced down again at the book's title 'Dracula'. She found herself wondering what kind of woman Jenna Potter had been. Obviously a very interesting one to have named her daughter after a character in a book about vampires. Hermione smiled at the thought. Getting up, she made sure the borrowed book was secure under her arm and apparated once again to the Potter household. With a little more courage than last time, Hermione knocked on the door, and soon the house-elf Dobby answered it.

"Hello Dobby, it's nice to see you again." She greeted the elf.

Dobby's face cracked into a grin, "Hermione Grangy miss, Dobby is happy to see you too."

Hermione smiled, "Is Mr. Potter in?"

"No, Grangy Miss, Harry Potter sir is-"

"HERMIONE!!" Dobby was cut off by a very familiar scene of Mina running up and attached herself to the bushy haired woman's legs. Hermione's smiled widened as she patted the child's head.

"Hello Mina, how are you?"

"I great!" Mina cried as she let go, "Did you come ta play with me an' Cousin Teddy?"

Hermione blinked, "Cousin Teddy?"

Mina nodded her head furiously, "Yup, he right here, come on."

The little girl grabbed Hermione by the arm and pulled her into the sitting room, where a small boy was currently coloring. The boy looked slightly older than Mina and had brown eyes, but what really struck Hermione as odd was the shocking blue color of his hair. She figured he was either a metamorphmagus or had very liberal parents.

The boy cocked his head to the side when he saw Hermione, "Who's this?"

"This is Hermione Teddy, she's my friend!" Mina answered excitedly.

The boy blinked, "You're Hermione?"

"Yes I am." the brunette answered with a smile.

"Well then can you please tell Mina to shut up already, she's been talking about you all day!" The boy cried with exasperation.

Mina gasped loudly, "I telling my Grandma you said that!"

"Go ahead!" Teddy challenged her.

Mina responded to that in the only way a child her age could: she stuck her tongue at her blue haired friend.

He responded by sticking out his own tongue and the two began a sort of war to see who could go for the longest. Hermione was so amused by the sight that she didn't notice the person behind her until they spoke in a loud voice:

"Who are you?"

Jumping a little, Hermione turned to find herself face to face with a middle-aged young woman giving her a hard, suspicious stare. The woman had a few wrinkles on her face but not many and her dark auburn hair was graying in places. She had hard blue eyes and her lips were pursed into a very thin line. Hermione noticed the woman's hand was in her pocket, obviously to grab her wand if she felt she had to.

"Oh," Hermione started, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just barge in. My name is Hermione Granger, I'm a…"

Hermione stopped there, still hesitant on whether or not she should call herself a friend or not. She found however that she didn't have to as her name seemed to have sparked recognition in the older woman's eyes.

"You're the one my son-in-law told me about, you saved Mina from the Death Eaters." She said, pulling her empty hand from her pocket.

"Oh," Hermione said trying to hide her embarrassed blush, "I wish people would stop mentioning that, I didn't do anything no decent person would have done."

"Hm, yes." The woman answered, still examining the younger woman before her, "I'm Clarice Reynolds by the way, Mina's grandmother."

Hermione was still unsure what to make of this woman, but still she smiled and held out her hand. "Well then, it's very nice to meet you."

Clarice didn't smile, but still took Hermione's hand in her and shook it slowly.

"I'm afraid my son-in-law isn't in right now, he was called into work early this morning and won't be back until late."

"Oh that's fine," Hermione responded, "I only came to return the book Harry loaned me."

Clarice looked confused for a moment, then she noticed the book Hermione was holding and slowly took it from her.

"Dracula…" She read the cover quietly aloud.

Suddenly, Hermione felt a bit nervous. There was something about Clarice's tone that made her feel she had done something wrong.

"…Yes, please tell Harry that I enjoyed it very much, and thank you." Hermione said quickly.

Clarice only nodded, and Hermione decided now was as good a time as any to see herself out. Before she could however, a certain four year old got to her.

"Hermione, you not leaving now, are you?" Mina asked, putting on the same cute face Hermione had seen her use on Harry the week before.

The brunette smiled sadly, "I'm sorry Mina, but I have to. I have to go talk to my boss now."

Mina looked like she could cry, "B-but, you'll be back, right?"

"Of course I will," Hermione answered, kneeling down to look Mina in the eye, "We are best friends after all, aren't we?"Mina's face immediately lit up as she threw her arms around Hermione's neck,

"Yeah! We'll be friends forever!"

Hermione could only smile and hug the child back.

* * *

Harry was so exhausted, he almost collapsed in the doorway. He noticed his mother-in-law straightening up the living room as he walked in and plopped down in his easy chair.

"How was work?" His mother-in-law asked with a smile.

"Oh loads of fun," Harry answered with a humorless smile, "Between the mountains of paperwork and five hour staff meetings, it's all just one big party."

"Well I'm glad you had fun." Clarice teased him.

Harry smiled a real smile and rubbed his eyes to try and keep himself awake to talk to her. "How was everything today?"

"Fine," Clarice answered, "Nymphadora picked up Teddy after dinner and then I put Mina to bed."

"Clarice, you have to stop calling Tonks 'Nymphadora'. One day she might actually make good on her threats to hex you." said Harry.

Clarice rolled her eyes, "Harry, I worked for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for forty years, and she's only been an Auror for ten. I think I can take her. You do remember what happened at Mina's birthday last year don't you?"

Harry chuckled, "You mean when Fred and George tried to set off their fireworks in the house?"

"It wasn't funny Harry, someone could have gotten hurt." Clarice reprimanded angrily.

"Ah come on Clarice, they have those things charmed to avoid things like that." Harry answered.

"Charms can only do so much Harry." Clarice answered.

Harry sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Well, after what you did to them I doubt they'll be trying that again anyway."

Clarice smiled slightly.

It was then that Harry noticed the familiar book laying on the coffee table. Harry sat back up the grabbed it in his hand, a motion that Clarice noticed. Her expression darkened significantly,

"Your friend Hermione Granger dropped that off today." She said in monotone.

"Hermione was here?" Harry asked without looking up.

Clarice nodded, "You seem to have taken quite a liking to her…enough to give her Jenna's most prized posession it seems."

Now Harry looked up, "…Oh, uh…Look, I know what you're thinking and, well- come on Clarice you know me better than that. You know I wouldn't just give this to some stranger or-"

"But you did Harry," Clarice interrupted firmly, "You've known this woman for all of what, a week? And yet you just handed Jenna's book over to her like it was nothing!"

"Clarice…" Harry trailed off, knowing from experience that his mother-in-law always won arguments making it pointless to fight her, still, "Clarice, I understand what your saying but…I don't know, there's just something about Hermione. She really seems like someone I can trust."

Clarice sighed, "Harry, both you and I are grateful to her for bringing Mina back safely, but you still don't really know what kind of person she is."Harry looked affronted, "Well obviously she's the type who would help someone in need."

"She did what any decent human being would have done." Clarice argued, "I've dealt with the lowest of the low in my life Harry, so you'll forgive me for being a bit pessimistic."

"Hermione's not like that." Harry stated with finality, "She's a good person."

Clarice sighed, "I've heard you say that before Harry, and you know how that almost ended."

Harry didn't want her to know that she'd struck a nerve, so he simply continued to look stoically into her eyes, "As I said, Hermione's not like that. I like to think myself a good judge of character, and I know Hermione is a good woman."

Clarice sighed again, "I know, perhaps I am being a bit too quick in my judgement of the poor girl. All I want is what's best for you and Mina. You know I have no problem with you seeing other woman, I mean it has been five years and-"

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on a second Clarice," Harry said holding up his hands, "I'm not dating Hermione, I just- I just want us to be friends, you know?"

Clarice smiled, "Yes Harry, I know. And I've practically raised you since you were eleven. So I know when you like a woman as more than just a friend."

Before Harry could answer, Clarice began heading up the stairs.

"I'm going to bed now, I'll have to be up early to catch my train home. Good night Harry."

Harry tried to call her back, but suddenly he remember just how tired he was and simply bid her good night. He then slowly got to his feet and shuffled into his room (Stopping to kiss Mina good night of course). He kicked off his shoes before falling onto the bed and staring at the ceiling, wondering if his mother-in-law was right about him liking Hermione as more than a friend. Unfortunately, he was too tired to ponder very far and was soon fast asleep.

* * *

**A/N: …I really should stop promising to update faster. I think I'm jinxing myself.**

**Please review!**


	5. Huffbubs Never Lie

It wasn't until right before Hermione went to bed that she remembered the letters she had received from her parents and Gabrielle. Throwing on her robe, she walked into the kitchen and found the two sealed envelopes exactly where she'd left them and smiled.

Her parents letter was very typical, as they'd usually write or call two or three times a week to see how she was doing. Hermione was too tired to send a good reply at the moment so she set the letter aside and picked up Gabrielle's:

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope you get this by the time your trip ends. How was India, I want to hear all about it. Marc and I having begun dating steadily and I couldn't be happier. I am rather unhappy though, as he has decided to pursue a career in experimental transfiguration and is going to study abroad in Montreal for a year. He isn't leaving for a few months now, but I must say, I will miss him terribly._

_But enough about my problems, I still want to hear about your trip. I don't know if you've received the invitation yet, but you've been invited to Bill and Fleur's anniversary party. I hope you'll attend (and really, you owe it to them after missing the wedding) and then you can tell us everything. They both send their love by the way, and Bill is very excited to see you again. I would write more, but I'm meeting Marc in ten minutes; we're going for a picnic in the park, I am so excited! Good bye for now!_

_Love,_

_Gabrielle._

Hermione blinked. She hadn't received any other important letters, but the post owl hadn't arrived yet that day. Chances were, he'd have the invitation. As she reread the letter and contemplated her reply, Hermione thought back to during the war, when the Delacour family had left for England in order to be there for Fleur's wedding. The two family's had decided it wasn't safe for the Granger's to attend, so the Delacour's (and a few of their friends) had placed the strongest wards they knew around the household just to be on the safe side.

France had been fairly neutral during the first war, at least until Voldemort's true colors were revealed. This time around, they were a bit more active in opposing the dark wizard. Beauxbatons was attacked by Death Eaters only once, but the battle had been a harsh one, and not everyone survived.

Hermione was proud of the fact that she'd fought and defeated several Death Eaters. Gabrielle, when she heard, began seeing Hermione as a hero, as did many of the other students (the younger ones mostly).

If there was one thing Hermione regretted though, it was missing her dear friend's wedding. She'd only even met Bill Weasley once or twice thanks to many years of month long trips and harrowing assignments. As she'd gotten more adjusted to her routine, and as Death Eater activity slowly diminished, the work load had lessened enough that she no longer had to miss any special events in her friends life. Starting with this one.

As Hermione thought, the invite came later that day with the rest of the post. She sent her already written RSVP, along with replies to both her parents and Gabrielle, away with the animal.

When it had gone, Hermione dressed and grabbed her purse, her mind going over ideas for an anniversary gift.

**

_Harry Potter didn't know what to think when he crossed the invisible barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. The eleven-year old stared in awe at the area before him. People bustled around him carrying trunks and caged owls and various other strange pets. _

_The red headed twins whose mother had helped him get into the platform appeared to be harassing their younger and equally redheaded brother, Ron if Harry remembered correctly. The trio were too preoccupied to notice the Boy Who Lived as he passed and tried to figure out what to do next. He wished, not for the first time, that Hagrid had left him with more instructions._

"_Need some help there?"_

_Harry turned to face the surprise speaker. It was a man in his thirties with curly brown hair, brown eyes, and a kind face. Beside him stood a tall dirty blonde haired boy who looked rather bored, and another boy around Harry's age. Harry couldn't see his face as the boy was wearing a baseball cap and was too busy trying to drag his trunk along to pay any attention to what his father and brother were doing anyway._

"_Oh, yes sir, thank you," Harry said, grateful for the assistance._

_The man grinned and went to pick up Harry's trunk. He motioned for the three boys to follow him._

"_It is your first year, son?" The man asked as they headed for the back of the train._

_Harry nodded, "Yes sir, it is."_

"_Well what's a first year like you doing on your own like this? Didn't your parents bring you?"_

"_Well…they're dead, sir."_

_The man, who looked as though he'd been about to say something back, instead became quiet for a moment._

"_I see, I sorry to hear that."_

"_It's alright, sir," Harry answered, unsure of what else to say, "My relatives well…they're not all that fond of me, so they didn't want to come along."_

_The man just nodded. The rest of the trip was silent except for Harry noticing the younger boy struggling to carry his trunk along. _

"_Do you need some help?" He asked._

_The boy violently shook his head and gave a great tug on the large case. His brother rolled his eyes and Harry could just make out a few words being muttered under his breath including 'stubborn' and 'won't accept help from anyone…'_

_As the man loaded Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into the back compartment, he turned to the green eyed boy and held out his hand._

"_I'm George Reynolds by the way," he said, "And this here's my son Elliot, he's just starting his fourth year."_

_The dirty blonde named Elliot smiled and shook Harry's hand as well._

"_Nice to meet you both, I'm Harry Potter."_

_At hearing that, George and Elliot both gaped. For a moment, the air became rather uncomfortable for Harry as he was still not used to all the attention he was suddenly getting (really, he didn't think he ever would). Then George grinned again._

"_So you are," he said, "Forgive us for staring just now, it's not everyday that one meets a hero such as yourself."_

_Harry tried not to blush from embarrassment, "Please sir, I'm not hero, I-"_

_CRASH_

_They all whirled around to see George's other son's trunk lying open with it's contents strewed out all over the place. The boy himself was crouched down trying to catch his breath. George groaned and pulled out his wand, magically summoning various articles of clothing and toiletries while glaring at his son._

"_Didn't I tell you not to try and carry it yourself? Why are you so stubborn?"_

_The boy just grunted angrily in response._

"_Here," Harry said, desiring to repay the family's kindness in helping him, "Let me help you."_

"_You don't have to do that, Harry," George tried to protest, but Harry was already on his hands and knees grabbing the books, quills and such and putting them back in the trunk. _

_As he worked, he noticed a strange white garment next to the trunk and picked it up. He briefly examined the object and went pale when he realized what it was. It didn't look exactly like the ones he'd seen on TV commercials, but it DEFINITELY was one, so he figured it must've been the kind for girls who had only just started 'developing'. Harry felt a bead of sweat run down his cheek as he practically threw the garment into the trunk and prayed to whatever God there was that no one had seen him with it._

_When he looked up at the 'boy' he noticed that 'he' had removed the baseball cap allowing to sections of braided brown hair fall out and come to rest just below her shoulders. _

"_Next time Jenna," George addressed his daughter, "Tell me if you're having trouble carrying it."_

"_I was doing just fine until now," she grumbled, her voice very clearly that of the girl she was._

_Harry immediately decided that if he wanted to remain on good terms with perhaps the first people who'd ever treated him like a person rather than a bug, it would be best if they never learned of what just happened._

_**_

"Stop fidgeting Mina," Harry gently reprimanded the little girl, as he continued braiding her hair, "I'm almost finished okay, just stay still a little longer."

"You don't do it right," the child whined, "Gramma does it better."

Harry smiled slightly, "I'm sorry honey, I guess this just isn't my strong suit."

"Nope!" Mina answered with a giggle.

Once Harry finished, he grabbed Bill and Fleur's gift and headed with Mina to the fireplace.

"Now remember to hold onto me tight okay?" he reminded the girl, "I don't want you getting lost in there and winding up coming out in the wrong place."

"Did you ever do that, daddy?" Mina asked innocently.

Harry coughed, "I'll tell you when you're older."

When they arrived, the party was in full swing. Fred and George were there to immediately greet them with a pat on the back (Harry) and a warm hug (Mina). The rest of the Weasley clan was outside mingling with the guests. Harry picked Mina up (noting that she was getting heavier) and walked outside to greet his old friends.

"Harry, Mina!" He heard a dreamy voice behind him.

The familiar spacey blonde moved into his sight and leaned forward to hug him and Mina.

"Hi Auntie Luna," Mina happily greeted her beloved godmother, "I missed you."

"Me too," Luna said before kissing the girl on the cheek, "I wish your daddy would bring you over more often."

"Luna, we were here yesterday," Harry reminded her, "And the day before."

"It's still too long to go without visiting, especially after everything that happened this morning," Luna Lovegood-Weasley answered.

"Party planning is pretty exciting then?" Harry teased.

Luna giggled, "No not that, I've just discovered that Ron is going to be a daddy again!"

Harry blinked, Luna had said it so casually that it was almost like she'd told him something as trivial as the time. He knew though, from the look in Luna's eye, that she was absolutely thrilled with the idea of another child.

"That's wonderful Luna," Harry cried happily, "Have you told Ron?"

"Yes, he was so happy that the fophacks got into his brain and caused him to lose consciousness for several hours. Just like the first time!"

Harry smiled in a bid to fight down a laugh, poor Ron would always be a bit green when it came to these things it seemed (not that he himself had been calm and collected when Jenna told him she was pregnant).

"We wanted to let you know right away since you'll be the godfather, but please don't say anything to anyone else. Today is Bill and Fleur's day after all."

"My lips are sealed," Harry promised.

Mina took that moment as an opportunity to join in the conversation.

"Daddy, there's a baby in Auntie Luna's tummy again?" She asked.

Harry nodded, "That's right."

"How did it get there?"

**

Hermione entered the house through the front door, having apparated over. She was greeted by portly redheaded woman she assumed was Bill's mother. Once she'd explained her relation to the family, the woman smiled warmly and showed her where she could put her gift. She'd decided on a set of jewel encrusted keepsake boxes one could store wedding rings or other small object in. She didn't know much about Bill's girt preferences having only met him several times, but Fleur had had an obsession with pretty little trinkets for as long as she could remembered.

"'Ermione, darling!"

Speak of the devil.

The blonde quarter veela hugged her old friend tightly as her husband moved into view as well.

"Harry anniversary," Hermione gasped out despite Fleur's surprisingly strong grip.

"Alright Fleur, let her breathe," the scarred man said.

Fleur let go and smiled happily at the young woman, "I'm so 'appy you made it my friend, Gabrielle has been waiting for you to show up."

"Well, she won't be disappointed," Hermione answered with a smile of her own.

She then allowed Fleur to gently drag her by the arm into the backyard and through the crowd of guests to find the blonde's younger sister. She was standing by the refreshments, daintily chewing on an hors d'oeuvre until she saw her older sister and brother-in-law approach with the bushy haired witch. She then gasped and, like Fleur had, threw her arms around the girl.

"Hermione, how glad I am to see you!" she cried.

"It's good to see you too Gabrielle," Hermione hugged her back, luckily she wasn't trying to choke her like Fleur had.

"Now you must tell me everything about your trip," Gabrielle said letting go, "I know you left a lot out in your letter."

Hermione shrugged, "Well, there's a lot to tell actually."

Bill and Fleur had by now gone to talk with their other guests, leaving the two girls alone to continue their conversation. Gabrielle wanted exact details on everything Hermione had seen, and when she was through Hermione asked about Marc and why he wasn't there. That sent the quarter veela into a joyful and love struck speech about how he was unable to attend because his mother had taken ill and he wanted to take care of her and about all the romantic gestures he would make and the wonderful dates they went on and basically just going on and on about how he was the most absolutely perfect boyfriend in the history of the universe.

Hermione did her best to remain interested but it was becoming rather difficult. As much as she cared for Gabrielle as a friend, the girl could be rather long winded at times. While fading in and out with Gabrielle's speech, Hermione subtly scanned the area around them. Most of the people she didn't know, at least not personally. Neville Longbottom, whom she recalled being mentioned in several newspaper articles as being one of the heroes of the war (according to Harry at least), was standing with a woman she could only assume was his wife. Hannah, she believed the woman's name was.

Hagrid, a giant of a man, sat beside a red headed man Hermione believed was Bill's father and the two appeared to be conversing.

"Watch me, daddy!"

Hermione almost gasped when she heard the childish voice. She saw little Mina run through the crowd to her father, who was standing beside a very tall red head man and a blonde haired woman.

"Be careful, Mina," she heard Harry say, "Don't run around like that, you could get hurt."

"Are you surprised to see him here?"

Hermione jolted when she heard Gabrielle's voice. It wasn't so much that the blonde's talking had startled her as it was the fact that she'd apparently felt the need to speak right into Hermione ear (perhaps payback for her not listening?).

"I…what?"

Gabrielle giggled, "don't play dumb Hermione, Ronald told us all about what you did for Mina, and that you've begun seeing Mr. Potter."

"Oh…" Hermione answered, before she suddenly realized what Gabrielle had said.

"Wait, I'm not _seeing_ him we're, we're just friends!"

Gabrielle smirked, "oh, but didn't you eat over at his house severel nights ago?"

"Mina was there," Hermione continued to protest, "It was simply to thank me for saving her life. He's not interested in a relationship with me and I'm interested in one with him."

"Is that so?"

Hermione nodded.

"Then why are your cheeks so red?"

Hermione had never wanted to smack a person's smile off their face more than she did at that very moment.

**

Unbeknownst to Hermione, she'd already been noticed by the green eyed savior as well. Harry blinked and looked again as if to make sure he'd seen correctly. He only half listened as Ron went on about all the over confidant novice auror's he'd been stuck training and tried to figure out why she was there.

He figured since she was talking to Fleur's younger sister, that they must be friends. Which made sense seeing as Hermione'd told him she attended school at Beauxbatons. Now he just had to decide if he was going to approached, and if so how?

Ever since his talk with Clarice, he'd been unsure of just what he felt for Hermione. He definitely liked her as a friend, or so he told himself. The truth was, Hermione was a very attractive woman and the fact that Mina loved her to death was also a good thing. He remembered how she'd felt the last time he started dating…

Whenever those thoughts came into his head however, he always shook them off. He had already learned his lesson about dating and he knew now that he'd already found and lost his one true love. Trying to start a new relationship would only provide unnecessary complications to his and Mina's quiet lifestyle, he'd had to learn that the hard way.

"Oh," Luna suddenly said, interrupting both Ron's words and Harry's thoughts, "isn't that the woman who saved Mina from the Death Eaters?"

"Hermione is here?" Mina perked up immediately.

She turned around to see the familiar witch and was immediately off.

"HERMIONE!" she shouted happily, latching herself to her 'best friend'.

Harry couldn't help but smile a bit at the scene. Mina had always been a bit shy, her only real friends were Teddy, Dobby, and Ron and Luna's three year old Nora. Seeing her take so well to a complete stranger was rather amazing, not that Hermione was really a stranger anymore. As he watched the brunette kneel down to hug his daughter, he heard Luna start whistling.

"Well look at that," Luna said with a grin, "Harry, something wonderful has just happened…a herd of huffbubs have made a nest for themselves in your scalp!"

…

"…erm, what was that dear?" Ron asked his wife, ending the awkward silence.

"Don't be silly Ron," Luna playfully smacked her husband's chest, "You had a nest in _your_ hair when we started dating."

Instinctively, Ron's hand immediately went to his red hair as if to wipe away any foreign entity that might be there. Luna giggled at his antics.

"Silly Ronald, they left long ago. They only stay in one place for a few months after all."

"Luna," Harry asked getting her attention, "What exactly is a 'huffbub'?"

"Well," Luna began, "They're tiny spirits that look a bit like caterpillars, only small and with wings. They're only visible at a certain time of night when everyone is asleep."

"That's convenient," Ron muttered.

"They move from nest to nest every several months. Men are their preferred target, and they always go for men who are in love."

Harry blinked, "In love?"

"Oh yes," Luna said with an excited nod, "You see, men in love always have the nicest aroma, and their blood is the sweetest."

While Harry wasn't sure he liked those implications, he was more focused on the 'in love' part to really question it.

"Luna…if you're suggesting that I've fallen in love with Hermione then-"

"I'm not suggesting anything," Luna piped in, "and you can say whatever you want on the subject, but the huffbubs never lie."

With that, the blonde walked away to get some more punch leaving a very confused Harry and Ron in her wake.

Harry let out a nervous chuckle, "Just when I thought I was getting used to her."

"Hey, that's my wife you're talking about," Ron said with a scowl, even though he knew Harry didn't mean anything by it, "I think this is just her way of telling you to ask Ms. Granger out."

Harry gawked at the redhead, "Out? On a date?"

"No," Ron said rolling his eyes, "she's telling you to throw her out of the party…of course on a date!"

"Ron, I can't do that," Harry argued, "Even if I wanted to, she'd never say yes."

"You actually think any woman would be stupid enough to say 'no' to the Boy-Who-Lived?"

Harry's eyes narrowed, "Yes, because my main criteria for a potential girlfriend is one who loves my fame more than me."

Ron suddenly looked ashamed as he realized what he'd just implied and the memories it obviously brought back.

"Look mate, I'm sorry I just…" he trailed off, "I'm just sick of seeing you alone like this. I know you say you're happy, but I know you're lonely. It's been five years almost, and anyway Jenna wouldn't have wanted this. You know that."

Harry, at this point, was having trouble maintaining eye contact with his longtime best friend, only because he knew the man was right. He wondered briefly when the Hell Ron became so insightful, but soon moved to more important thoughts.

"I'm not asking you to marry the woman," Ron continued after a brief pause, "Just ask her out once. If she says yes, then go for it. If she says no…well, you'll have tried anyway."

The red head watched his friend's reaction and could tell the man was thinking it over. With a sigh and a shrug of his shoulders, Harry quietly excused himself, turned, and walked toward his daughter and Hermione Granger.

Ron couldn't help but smile.

**

"Mina, why don't you go play with Uncle Ron for a while," Harry said to his daughter once he'd reached them.

Hermione, for her part, was unsure of what to say to Harry if Mina left. She figured he wanted to talk to her privately and she had a few ideas as to what that could mean. For some reason, every one of them terrified her.

With a sad sigh, Mina gave Hermione one last hug and ran off into the waiting arms of her godfather. Now Harry and Hermione were alone, and neither knew what to say.

"Are…are you enjoying the party?" Harry finally asked.

"Yes, I…like the food," Hermione answered with equal (if not greater) nervousness.

Harry chuckled, "It is good isn't it? Mrs. Weasley is an amazing cook."

"She did all this herself?" Hermione asked, amazed.

"Well, she uses magic sometimes and I think Fleur helped a little, but most of it she did herself."

Hermione nodded, "That's impressive."

"Yes, she's a lovely woman," Harry nodded.

Silence loomed over them again. Harry wondered if Hermione knew what he was about to do and if that was why she acted just as scared as he was.

"So um…" he started to say, "I…I was just wondering…if you're not busy maybe, maybe we could go out some time?"

Hermione stared at him, "Out? On a date?"

"That's what I said," Harry murmured under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing I just…" Harry paused to try and calm himself, "I just…yes, on a date. You know…without Mina. Just us…"

Hermione nodded, but didn't say anything else.

Harry took a deep breath, "So…what do you say?"

**

**A/N: Is it evil that I didn't update for a year and then ended on a cliffhanger? If so, then this all went…EXACTLY AS PLANNED! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

**Review please!**


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